


Bonds

by Saturn_Girl



Category: Z Nation (TV)
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Adult situations but nothing you couldn't see on the show itself, Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Dubious Consent, F/M, Kidnapping, M/M, Masturbation, Non-Consensual Bondage, Non-explicit unwanted sexual contact, Okay maybe it is just a little kinky, One Sided Attraction, Pining, Post Season 4 Finale, Seriously 10k is so full of angst, Some season 5 spoilers, Teen Angst, This all sounds kinkier than it really is, This is Z Nation so there will be zany weirdness, This is not a fluffy love story it can get pretty dark, Unrequited
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2019-06-28 09:46:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15704742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saturn_Girl/pseuds/Saturn_Girl
Summary: While separated from the rest of the group, 10k gets into a bit of a bind and Murphy may be the only one who can help...whether 10k likes it or not.





	1. 10k POV

After traveling all over the country and back again, the small towns and rural roads all seemed to blur together.  10k often had the sense of déjà vu that he had been on this particular street before, even though he wasn’t quite sure what state he was in, let alone what city.   It had only been a few weeks since the team had failed to prevent the Black Rain from spreading across the world; 10k was feeling rudderless and out of sorts, so he welcomed any semblance of familiarity. 

_Welcome back to Anytown, USA.  I wonder if they have a cheese wheel?_

10k leaned his rifle against a chimney and took a sip of water from his canteen.  Ever since the Black Rain, the sky had a continual dark tinge to it, like an electrical storm was always brewing on the horizon.  It made it difficult to judge what time of day it was, but 10k figured based on the position of the sun that it must be late afternoon.  Doc and Murphy had set up camp near the edge of town, while Sarge and 10k split off in separate directions to do some scavenging and reconnaissance within the city limits.

From his rooftop perch he scanned the abandoned city block looking for signs of movement.   Luckily they had not encountered any Zs in the area, a blessing after they had barely escaped a huge throng of dead Girl Scouts the day before.  The little Zs were always the fastest!  Unfortunately, none of them had any boxes of cookies and 10k’s stomach was rumbling.  He hadn’t had any luck scoring supplies from the apartment building he’d just searched.  Hopefully Sarge had fared better.  He’d scout around for another few minutes, then head out to reconnect with the others.

After the complete failure of their mission, 10k had been tempted to head out on his own to find Red, but none of them were sure yet how the Black Rain had changed things.   He knew his chances of survival were higher if he remained in the group, so 10k reluctantly agreed when Doc and Sarge asked him to stick around to help search for Warren. 

So far they hadn’t seen any sign of the drone ship.  Murphy had assured everyone that she was still alive, that he could feel her and use their special bond to track her down.  

_We better find her soon, because I don’t think I can take much more of Murphy acting like he’s the boss of everyone!_

It worried 10k that Murphy’s strange abilities were making a comeback, and that he now looked like a demon straight out of Hell.  The old nightmares about Murphy biting him had returned with a vengeance, but 10k was too embarrassed to talk about them with anyone.   They dredged up a flood of uncomfortable memories of being trapped in Murphy’s thrall; he never wanted to feel that violated and powerless again.

_I miss you, Red.  When I was broken, you were the one who pieced me back together.  I’m so sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me._

10k tried to shake off a pang of guilt.  So much had been weighing on his mind lately, he was grateful for a bit of privacy to try to sort things through.  It wasn’t just Murphy he was worried about.  Although he’d promised Red he’d move on with his life, after all these long months he still longed to find her.   He didn’t want to admit she might be gone forever.  But becoming intimate with Sarge had complicated things even further, and he was having a difficult time figuring out what he wanted.

Despite Sarge assuring him that it was okay to “keep things casual,” he had no clue how to do that.  He was never good at shutting off his feelings, and it wasn’t for lack of trying.  Since the Z outbreak he had often wished he could be numb to everything.  The truth was he liked Sarge…a lot…yet he also felt like he was taking unfair advantage of her. 

Especially when the nightmares returned, and he’d reach for her in the middle of the night.  Under the cover of darkness he’d pull her close and imagine he was back in Red’s arms, back in the idyllic meadow of his fantasies where she’d stroke his hair and whisper that he was safe and that everything would be okay.

He knew it was wrong.   Sarge was an incredible woman, she deserved better.  He wasn’t proud of himself, but he kept up their trysts because those moments together were the only times he could push aside his grief and pretend he was happy again.  Until she’d kissed him that first time he never knew how much he had needed that release.    _Joy is precious_ , Doc had once said.  He’d told 10k to hold onto it when he found it because you never knew when it would be stripped away and replaced with some new variant of zombie hell.

So he’d held onto her and let himself enjoy the simple pleasure of being close to someone.  But it pained 10k to know that one day he’d have to make a difficult choice and either let go of Red, or let go of Sarge.

_Hey, wait a minute…what was that noise?_

10k roused himself when he heard someone shout and what sounded like a scuffle coming from the street behind him.  He grabbed his rifle to check things out.  He crept over to the roof ledge and used his scope to locate the source of the sounds.

In an alley down the street he could see an older white man in denim overalls carrying a baseball bat tussling with a clan of Enders.   It looked like he’d already taken out one Ender based on the bedraggled form slumped on the ground, but he was outnumbered and the feral attackers would soon have him cornered. 

“Shoo!  Stay back!” the old man yelled at the Enders.  He swung his bat at the approaching Enders who snarled angrily at him.

10k had no desire to kill any of the Enders, but he couldn’t let them hurt the old man.  He aimed his rifle above their heads and fired a warning shot.

As soon as they heard gunfire, the Enders panicked.  They grabbed their unconscious companion and scampered back down the street, muttering and howling incoherently.

“No, wait…” the old man yelled after the departing Enders.  “Aw, God dammit.”  His shoulders slumped.

10k deftly clambered down the fire escape.  “Hey, mister, are you okay?” he asked when he got to the bottom.  10k was confused when the older man looked more disappointed than relieved.  He was panting from exertion but otherwise looked unharmed.

“I will be.”  His frown upturned into a smile.  “Thanks to you, young man!”  He clapped 10k on the shoulder.  “You showed up just in the nick of time.  But we best skedaddle, before any more of those fellas come back.”  He pointed his bat towards the street.  “I live not far from here, so let’s go!”  While they hustled down the alley, he thrust his hand at 10k.  “Good to meet you, son.  I’m Fred, by the way.” 

10k returned the handshake. “I’m Ten Thousand.  I helped you, so maybe you could help me.  I’m looking for a friend of mine.   Maybe you’ve seen her?  Pretty black woman, long white hair, total bad ass?  She might have passed through here recently.”

“Huh.  White hair you say?”  Fred searched his thoughts.  “I don’t think so.  We don’t get many survivors around here anymore, except for some pesky Enders now and then.  But when we get back to my place you can ask my daughter, Darla.  Maybe she knows something.”

“Great!  Thanks.”  10k checked out their rear flank, and it did not appear that they were being followed.  The Enders were all gone, but gunshots could also attract Zs, so it was best to be careful.

When they emerged from the alley, Fred motioned 10k towards a brick townhouse down the block.  “Right over there on the corner.  Darla was taking a nap when I left, so she should still be there.”

With his rifle raised, 10k quickly scanned the perimeter looking for additional threats before approaching, but the coast looked clear.  He took note of the pharmacy – it might be worth looting before he returned to his friends.

“Hey, you said you were looking for a pretty black woman.  Is that her?”  Fred pointed behind 10k.

“Warren?”  10k excitedly turned to look, but there was no one there.  Before he could say anything else, something hard smashed against his skull and then everything faded into darkness.


	2. Murphy POV

Murphy dug through the back seat of the smashed up mini-van, hoping to find a bag of stale Goldfish crackers, a package of gummy bears, anything to satisfy his gnawing hunger.  His fingers latched onto something between the seat cushions…he dug it out, but it was only a bejeweled makeup compact.  He flipped it open and checked himself out in the tiny round mirror.

_Hello, handsome!_

He smiled and stroked his beard appreciatively.  Murphy kind of liked the new red look.  It was…distinctive.  Not to mention a little easier to explain than the old blotchy blue look.  When strangers gawked, he’d just ask them if they had any extra sunscreen and they’d leave him alone.  He tossed the compact back in the van.

“Dude, are you picking up anything new on Warren yet?” asked Doc.  He threw another piece of broken furniture on the fire he’d built to boil their drinking water. 

Murphy kicked a crumpled soda can across the street.  “Not really.  I got a flash a few hours ago, but nothing since.   I keep telling you, I never know when I’m going to connect.”  His stomach growled again.  He was disappointed that the city was so picked over when it came to supplies.  They’d have to move on soon if they wanted to find their next meal.

Doc stationed the pot of water over the fire.  “So how does it work, anyway?  Can you read her thoughts?”

Murphy turned over a sturdy plastic bucket to use as a chair and sat by the fire.  “Not exactly.   I might be able to see memories if I try really hard, but mostly I pick up what my Blends are feeling.  And it has to be a strong feeling for me to get a good read.”  He grinned.   “Thankfully, Roberta gets pissed off a lot.”

Anger wasn’t the only thing Murphy had gotten flashes of from Roberta.  Regret, shame, self-recrimination…he’d felt waves of that, too.  Teller’s deception about the Black Rain was obviously weighing very heavily on her.  But despite how low Roberta was feeling these days, Murphy found that he enjoyed sharing this emotional connection with her.  It was almost like the bond he’d once had with Lucy.  It made him feel far less isolated from other humans, which is how he’d often felt over the last few years.

“Hold on a second.”  Doc looked over at Murphy.  “Blends?” he asked, emphasizing the plural.

_Oh, shit._

Murphy shirked nervously on his perch and pretended to be fascinated by a bottle cap he’d picked up off the ground.  “Wow!  Look at this!  Remember PBR?”  Murphy launched into his best Dennis Hopper impression.  “Heineken?  Fuck that shit.  Pabst Blue Ribbon!”

“Don’t change the subject on me.  You said ‘my Blends.’  Are you saying you can still feel more of ‘em out there?”  Doc scrutinized Murphy’s face trying to get to the truth.

 _Dammit.  This conversation just slid down a very slippery slope._   

To be honest, he wasn’t sure if he could pick up any of the Murphytown Blends, because he hadn’t bothered to try.  Out of sight, out of mind.  But he definitely had a blazing fast wifi connection when it came to Blends he knew well.  He’d been able to dig a little into Roberta’s mind before the Black Rain, so that really didn’t come as a surprise.  But 10k…that was quite unexpected.

_I thought Sun Mei canceled out the whole Blend thing.  I mean, I felt his mind slip away.  Or maybe that was just because he died?  I don’t know.  The zombie rules keep changing all the time.  Maybe the Black Rain did something to him, too.  Technically the kid did die, after all, and these days that’s when the weird shit starts happening._

While Roberta hadn’t ever held her transformation against him, Murphy knew how much 10k feared being a Blend.  Not just back in Spokane, but now, too…Murphy could literally feel it emanating from the kid in waves.  At first, the resonance of trauma had taken him aback…Murphy hadn’t ever considered that the boy might not have gotten over his ordeal. 

 _For Pete’s sake, it’s been two years!  Isn’t it time to let bygones be bygones?_   _Well, okay, okay…I guess I did kind of abduct him, lock him in a cell, turn him into my slave and sent him off to assassinate Roberta.  Mea culpa!  But at least I gave him that fabulous leather jacket!  I even had it tailored for him and everything.  Thanks to my snappy sense of style, he never looked better. That’s gotta be worth something…right?_

Murphy had decided to keep their re-established bond to himself, because the last thing he wanted was for 10k to freak out…especially if it involved shooting him in the face.  So for his own safety he’d tried very hard to pretend nothing had changed.  It had been immensely difficult, to say the least!

Murphy grudgingly supposed he had the kid to thank for helping him figure out how they could find Roberta.   Luckily, the day Murphy’s powers rebooted was also the day Sarge decided “what the hell?” and figured if the world was going to end, she might as well bang 10k.

_Who could blame her?  10k may be a pain in the ass, but he is also a fine piece of ass.  If she hadn’t grabbed him first, who knows what could have happened._

Doc and Murphy had ducked out of the hangar to give the two some privacy, and it wasn’t long before Murphy was hit with his first empathic flash: exhilarating pleasure. 

He had to hold onto a guard railing to keep from melting onto the concrete until the feeling passed.   If Murphy’s face wasn’t already red, Doc would have seen him blush harder than he ever had in his entire life.  He’d stammered some lame excuse and stole away to discretely rub one off in the rest room. 

It had not been hard to connect the dots.  Whenever 10k and Sarge hooked up, he was barraged with wave upon wave of pleasure that he assumed synched with their lovemaking.  Murphy hadn’t masturbated this much since he’d left prison.

_Those two lovebirds are wearing me out, but I have to admit, vicarious orgasms are a million times better than any porn ever invented!  Especially since I haven’t gotten laid since I fled Zona._

Yep.  Being bonded to 10k was very, very weird.

In the past 10k had been inscrutable and defiant, making Murphy dig deep for the tiniest glimpse into his psyche, and now after the Black Rain upgrade it was like he was an open book.  Every time Murphy experienced a flash he was torn between savoring the intense intimacy, and wanting to respect 10k’s boundaries.  Being able to feel things from 10k’s perspective had made him more sympathetic. He didn’t want to cause him more distress.

_Because when the kid is upset now, who feels it?  That’s right.  THIS GUY._

Back in Spokane, 10k had been the only Blend who could ever wall him out.  Despite their acrimonious relationship, Murphy always secretly respected 10k.  He never knew whether his other Blends were being honest with him or just telling him what he wanted to hear, so it was strangely refreshing whenever 10k would defy him.  That was probably the same reason Murphy had always been attracted to Roberta, too.  He admired a strong will.

Yet Murphy had been so excited when he’d finally penetrated 10k’s mental defenses during the knife game, after he’d fought so long and so hard to resist his influence.  It was almost intoxicating, that feeling that 10k was completely his.  

But that hard won victory soon felt hollow.  Murphy finally had his fealty, but it was like 10k’s entire personality had been erased.  Thomas was just another sheep like the other Blends, and Murphy had missed their delicious tension.

Now instead of wishing 10k would let him in, Murphy had been concentrating really hard on keeping 10k’s emotions out.  He was too much of a tempting distraction when Murphy knew he needed to concentrate all his efforts on finding Roberta.  Unlike the kid, she needed him.

So far, suppressing his link to 10k seemed to be working.  He hadn’t picked up anything since the Girl Scout attack.

“Hello?  Earth to Murphy!  What is with you today?  Are you bogarting some Z-Weed or what?” Doc prodded him with the stick he’d been using to stoke the fire. 

Before Murphy had a chance to respond, Sarge walked around the corner carrying a backpack.

Grateful for the distraction, Murphy dropped the bottle cap and stood up.  “Ah, just the lady I was hoping to see! “  He clapped his hands together and rubbed them.  “So?  What’s for dinner?”

Sarge grinned and dipped into her backpack.  “Catch!”  She tossed two big cans of Alpo dog food over to Murphy. 

“YES!  Stew time!” he exclaimed.  He rummaged through their supplies to pull out the can opener.

“You guys seen Ten Thousand?” Sarge asked.  “We were supposed to rendezvous at the Circle K, but he didn’t show.”

“He said he saw an advertisement for a gun shop, he probably went out to check for ammo.  I think it was on Walton, or maybe it was Walter Street.”  Doc made room for the cans of dog food next to the pot of water.  “I’m sure he’ll turn up soon.”

“I don’t know.  I’m concerned.  I heard a gunshot not long ago.  Was that you?” she asked.

“Pshaw!” Murphy scoffed.  “Who needs guns?  I’m more of a swashbuckler these days,” Murphy joked, waving his cane blade around with a dramatic flair.  “You never have to reload.”

“Welp.  Now you’ve got me worried, gal.”  Doc stood up and brushed the dust and ashes off his pants.  “Murphy, look after the fire while we track down the kid.” 

As they made their way to leave, Murphy dropped his blade on the ground.  His pupils rolled back, exposing the full whites of his eyes, and he started shuddering like he was having a seizure.

“What the hell?”  Sarge rushed over to grab Murphy before he could fall.  She looked over at Doc.  “Has he ever done this before?”   Doc joined her to ease Murphy gently to the ground.

“Murphy?  Murphy!”  Doc shook him to try to evoke a response.  Just as suddenly as the episode began, Murphy stopped quivering and his eyes returned to normal.

“He’s afraid,” Murphy mumbled so softly the others could barely hear him.  The look on his face was one of abject terror.

“Huh?  Who’s afraid?  Warren?  Are you picking up Warren?” asked Doc.

“No. He definitely said HE,” insisted Sarge.  “HE’S afraid.”

Murphy pushed himself off the ground.  He was still shaken, but coming back to himself. “I-I wasn’t even sure anything could get to him like that.  Yesterday we were surrounded by 20 creepy Girl Scout zombies and the kid was as cool as a cucumber.”

_Maybe suppressing 10k’s emotions wasn’t such a good idea after all…it felt like some kind of dam just burst!_

Doc’s eyes widened.  “The kid?  Holy shit.  You’re Vulcan mind melding with 10k!  I knew you were hiding something!”  He grabbed the lapels of Murphy’s jacket.  “Where is he?  Can you still feel him?”

“He’s feeling…trapped.  Helpless.   He’s not far from here.” Murphy muttered.  He closed his eyes and moved his head back and forth like he was trying to hone in on a signal.

_The kid isn’t just scared, there is something else there, something disturbing that I can’t quite suss out._

Sarge wrinkled her brow in confusion.  “Can someone please explain what is going on?  And by the way…since when does Murphy give a crap about Ten Thousand?  I thought they hated each other.”

Murphy let out a wry chuckle.  “Oh, he hates me all right.”  Murphy pulled himself out of Doc’s grasp and rubbed the bridge of his nose like he was recovering from a migraine.   “I can pick up that emotion loud and clear on a daily basis.” 

“You need to focus that mental mojo on finding 10k, and you need to do it right now!” Doc demanded angrily, poking the red man in the chest hard enough to make him wince.   Doc shook his head.  “Damn you, Murphy.  You really should have told us about this before, man.”

“Oh, really?  You think so?” Murphy snapped.  “Do you think 10k would want everyone to know that I can feel it every single time he gets off with Little Miss Friends With Benefits over here?” Murphy yelled, motioning at Sarge.  “Do you have any idea how many times I have had to change my shorts after one of your (finger quotes) ‘rendezvous?’  Jesus!  Didn’t anyone ever teach you kids about abstinence?!”

Murphy immediately regretted his outburst when Sarge turned as red as her hair, and Doc withered into an embarrassed grimace. 

“Ooookay.  You’re totally right.  That is definitely something I’d rather not know,” Doc said, his hands raised in a surrender gesture.

Sarge’s features hardened while she stood in front of Murphy and glared up at him, arms akimbo.  “Me, either.  So why don’t you shut your big mouth and start leading us to Ten Thousand, or the only thing you’re gonna FEEL next is my boot up your red ASS.”

“Fine.”  Murphy picked up his sword and snagged one of the cans of dog food, wincing a little as the hot metal singed his fingers. “But we’re eating on the way.”  He scooped the food into his mouth as fast as he could while they hurried down the street.

Sarge nudged Doc.  “What’s a Vulcan?” she whispered.

The trio only managed to cover two blocks before Murphy stopped in his tracks. His cheeks bulged and he clapped a hand over his mouth.

“Oh God,” he moaned.  He urped behind his hand.  Doc and Sarge paused and turned around to face him.

“Are we close?  What’s happening?” Doc cocked an eyebrow when he saw Murphy’s face turn from bright red to light pink.  “Um…you don’t look so good, man.”

Murphy rushed over, yanked the boonie hat off Sarge’s head and violently puked into it.

“Hey!” Sarge’s nose wrinkled when she caught a whiff of the vomit, while Murphy heaved and heaved into her hat. “Oh, gross!” She tried to wave the smell away with her hand.

“Great.  Food poisoning.  That’s exactly what we need right now,” Doc said with an exasperated sigh.

“It’s not the dog food…it’s 10k again,” croaked Murphy.  He spit, trying to rid himself of the last vestiges of bile in his mouth.  He meekly handed the vomit filled hat back to Sarge.  “Sorry,” he shrugged.

Sarge looked down at her ruined hat, scowled at Murphy, and tossed it into the gutter.

“We’re definitely close,” Murphy said, wiping his mouth on his jacket sleeve.  “I can still taste what was in his mouth, and it was like something crawled up and died in there.”  He frowned and spit again.  “On a scale of one to ten, 10k’s anxiety level just shot up to 27.”

“That’s it.”  Doc coned his hands around his lips to amplify his voice.  “10k!  10k!  Kid?  Where are you?”

“Doc, keep it down.  We gotta be smart about this.  We don’t know who or what might be with him.”  Sarge shouldered her rifle, put her back to the wall and scanned the rooftops with her scope looking for trouble.  “You got any intel you can share on that?” she asked Murphy.

“All I know is that 10k is miserable.  But it’s the apocalypse, isn’t that kind of the default setting these days?”  Murphy unsheathed his blade and followed Sarge’s lead.

“Look!”  Doc pointed to the sign on the corner reading ‘Walton Street.’  He pulled out his hammers and crossed to the other side of the road.  He paused in front of a CVS Pharmacy.  He leaned down and picked something up off the ground.

“Guys, I found 10k’s goggles,” Doc yelled.  They were speckled with fresh blood.  “Murphy, you were right…he must be somewhere nearby!” 

“Movement, eight o’clock!  Window on the second floor of that townhouse!” Sarge pointed her rifle towards the building in question. 

_That’s it.  That’s where he is!  We found him!_

Murphy stopped after he picked up another intense flash of fear from 10k, because this time it came with a one word message:

“DANGER.”


	3. 10k POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Note: This part takes place during the same time frame as Chapter 2.

“Unghhh…” 10 groaned.  He tried to clear his throbbing head while he sputtered in and out of consciousness.  In between flashes he became vaguely aware of something tugging at his legs and a viscous fluid seeping into his eye.  Confused, he blinked and tried to focus on where he was.  

_How did I get on a bed?  Wait…is that blood on my forehead?  What is going on?_

His head hurt, and his vision was blurry.  He groggily moved to rub his eyes, only to discover he couldn’t because both his arms were lashed to a bed frame.

“What the hell?”  His predicament jolted him to full consciousness.  He tried to yank his wrists free but the cords binding him were too tight and the bed posts were fashioned from solid wrought iron.   10k looked down at his feet to see the old man he had just met finishing up the final knot on his ankle. 

10k panicked when he realized that not only was he tied to a bed but the old man – _Fred?  Was that his name?_ \- had stripped him down to his maroon undershorts.  The rest of his clothes were in a heap on top of a bedside table.   

_Great.  Why do all the psychos and perverts survive the zombie apocalypse?_

“Let me go!”  10k yelled as he thrashed and struggled trying to wrest himself from his bindings, to no avail.   The mattress was wrapped in slippery plastic which made it difficult to get any purchase.

His frustration ramped up to fear when he took in the rest of his surroundings and saw a rainbow assortment of plastic shower curtains tacked to the walls and floor, all of them splashed with copious amounts of dried blood.   With a sinking feeling he realized he was not the first prisoner Fred had tied to this bed.  Who would have thought a room plastered with images of sea horses, flamingos and tropical fish could be so terrifying?

Confident his knots were secure, Fred patted 10k’s bare leg and creakily rose from a crouch to his feet. 10k slackened and ceased his struggling when it dawned on him that it wasn’t desire that he saw in his captor’s eyes.

It was guilt.

“Why are you doing this?” 10k asked him.  “I helped you!” 

“I know, and I am so sorry about this, son.”  Fred shook his head, his creased face filled with woe. He pulled a handkerchief from his overall pocket and gently dabbed the blood out of 10k’s eye - a strange kindness, given the dire circumstances.  “I can see that you are a good kid, and there sure aren’t many like you left in the world.  The ugly reality is that now we all have to make the hard choices to feed our family.”

_Oh crap, not cannibals!_

10k remembered the horror stories Cassandra had told him about her days with that cannibal cult.  Since the Z outbreak, food had become scarcer and scarcer with every passing year. He’d had some close scrapes with desperate people during Black Summer himself, and some of the Enders they’d encountered in the past few years had devolved into eating each other.  If 10k’s father hadn’t taught him how to live off the land, he’d never have survived this long.

“Fred, please…you don’t have to do this,” 10k implored.  “Look, I can help your family.  My friends and I have food back at our camp.   Just let me go and -”

“No, you don’t get it.”  Fred stuffed the hankie back in his pocket.  “The Black Rain changed everything.  My daughter…I guess you could say she has very specific dietary needs.  A can of peaches just ain’t gonna cut it.  I would have preferred one of them Enders you scared off, but now you’ll have to do.” 

He walked through the open bedroom door to a room across the hall that 10k could see was locked from the outside with several large padlocks.  Fred pulled out a ring of keys and started unlocking.

“Darla?  Wake up, dinner’s ready.  Just like I promised.”

10k’s heart pounded as he tried again to pull free from the cords, but with every struggle they cinched tighter around his wrists and ankles.  He saw that the window next to the bed was cracked open. 

“Doc!  Sarge!  Murphy!  Help!” he shouted.  10k had no idea where Fred had taken him, but maybe his friends were within earshot.  He couldn’t just give up and let himself get eaten.

Fred unlatched the final lock and opened the door.

A woman in a red sundress padded out of the room, her head hung low and her long white-blonde hair obscuring her features.  Or was she a Z?  10k honestly wasn’t sure.  The skin on her bare arms and legs looked dead and grey, but oddly she didn’t lunge at Fred like a zombie.  Was she trained?

10k kept shouting. “Doc!  Can you hear me?  Anyone?”

The Z yawned and stretched.  “What’s with all the yelling?”  

10k was stunned into silence.  _Since when could zombies talk?_ Then he remembered how Doc had said he’d heard a new rumor about talking Zs, but at the time 10k had figured someone had been smoking too much Z-weed.  Apparently the rumor was true!

Darla perked up as soon as she saw 10k.  She pushed the hair out of her face, revealing a grossly swollen nose, milky yellow eyes and rotting patches of flesh around what looked like a huge bite on her cheek.   She was probably quite beautiful once, but now she was a decomposing mess. If she wasn’t a zombie, she was doing an awfully good impression.

“Oooh, Daddy, is that for me?”  She gave her father a hug like he’d just surprised her with a birthday gift.

“Try not to make a big mess this time, pumpkin.”  Fred kissed his daughter on the forehead.  “Sorry, son.  I wish there were another way, but you gotta understand.  My Darla has…needs.” He cast 10k one last regretful look before heading downstairs.

“Mmmmm.  Fresh brains!”  When Darla grinned at him she revealed a black, rotten maw behind her yellowing teeth.  She stalked towards 10k.  “You.  Look.  So.  Yummy,” she purred as she teased her finger slowly from his ankle, up his leg, across his chest, along his throat until she was able to grasp his chin.

“W-what are you?” 10k cringed away from her fetid breath and tried not to vomit as she leaned down and licked the blood off his forehead. 

Memories of Murphy flooded back to him.  _“Don’t fight it, kid.  It will all be over soon…”_ His heart began to thud faster and faster.  “No…please…don’t bite me!”

“What am I?” Darla giggled.  She plopped down on the edge of the bed and traced playful circles around 10k’s nipple.  Trapped as he was, he couldn’t angle his body away from Darla to make her to stop.  “What are you?  Because you sure don’t taste or smell like other humans.” 

_What does that mean?  I thought Sun Mei cured me.  Am I still different?_

She eyed 10k hungrily like a predator ready to pounce, but her features abruptly froze when she glanced at his arm lashed to the frame.

“Wait a second…that’s a zombie bite.” She grasped his forearm and rubbed at the scar Murphy had given him.  “No wonder you smell different.  You’re just like me!” 

10k almost blurted out that he was nothing like Darla, until he realized this might be his out.  “Uh…yeah!  I’m like you!  So you better not eat me…because…uh, we probably have mutated brains or something!”

“Wow!  This is amazing!” she squealed with glee.  She sprawled on top of 10k and hugged him so hard he could barely breathe.  “I knew I wasn’t the only one!” 

10k blew her long strands of greasy hair out of his face.  Although 10k now had hope of surviving this bizarre encounter, it was somehow getting even more creepy.  “Lady?  Um, do you think you could untie me now?  Please?”

She responded by kissing the side of 10k’s neck. 

_Uh oh…I really, really hate where this is heading…_

“But this could be so much fun, too,” Darla purred.  She pressed closer and undulated against him while she suckled his neck and jawline.  10k was beginning to wish she had eaten his brains as he tugged futilely at the bonds holding him prisoner. 

_This is not happening this is not happening please don’t let this be happening…_

“Mmmm.  It has been so long since I have been with a man,” she moaned into his ear.  She nibbled his lobe while she nuzzled  him.  “Just think, together we could repopulate the earth with a brand new race!”

“Let me get this straight.”  He coughed and swallowed back the bile forcing its way up his throat.  “A minute ago you wanted to eat my brain, and now…now you want to marry me?”

Darla rolled her eyes at him.  “Jeez.  Aren’t you old-fashioned!   I don’t want to marry you, silly boy.”  She grasped his chin and forced him to look her.  “I just wanna jump your bones!” 

When she leaned in to kiss him, 10k recoiled and tried to move his face away, but she ignored his protests, forced her bloated tongue through his lips, and devoured him.  It horrified him that she tasted like spoiled, maggot infested meat left in the sun all day, and 10k had never felt so nauseated in his life.  When she finally pulled away, he gasped for fresh air and it was all he could do to keep from retching. 

She straddled his thighs and flipped her hair back, striking a playful pose.  “Although I have to say, you are quite the catch,” she cooed.  “Gorgeous, still have all your teeth, and you’re not decomposing!”  

10k winced when Darla leered down at him in a way she probably thought looked seductive, and then her hand roved lower, inching toward his shorts.

“Hey, hey!  Watch the hands!”  He blushed and tried to buck Darla off of him, but it only seemed to excite her more.  “Please, stop!”

“My, you are so hot when you’re flustered!   C’mon, baby. Don’t be shy.  Let me make it good for you.”  She leaned down and lapped at his nipple, then dotted his neck and chest with kisses, descending lower and lower towards his shorts while he squirmed.  10k blanched when she got a little too forceful and her nose suddenly separated from her face; it was barely hanging on by a tiny strip of flesh. 

“Oh my God!”  10k dry heaved.  It was a good thing he hadn’t eaten in two days or else he’d be painting the pink flamingo shower curtains with his vomit.

Darla tried to push her nose back in place, but it kept flopping back and forth, revealing her bloody nasal cavity and part of her skull.  “Ugh.  I hate it when that happens!”

 10k gulped, trying to suppress his gag reflex.  “Darla, please!  Before this goes too far, can we talk first?   Get to know each other?  We just met!”

“Oh, fine.  Party pooper!”  Darla pouted, but 10k breathed a huge sigh of relief when she lifted herself off him to sit at the edge of the bed again.  She reached over to the bedside table drawer and pulled out a tube of Krazy Glue, which she used to re-affix her nose.

“Tell me the truth.  Does this look okay?” She turned her face back and forth to show him different angles.

10k thought it looked crooked, but he nodded sheepishly.  She seemed satisfied by his response and tossed the glue back in the drawer.

“Okay, so talk.”  She adjusted her skirt and primped her hair.  “What is your secret?  How do you keep from falling apart?  How often do you have to eat brains?” she asked.

“Ew.” He grimaced at the thought.  “I don’t eat brains!”

Darla looked doubtful.  “Never?  Then what do you eat?”

“Normal stuff.  Fish, crickets, puppy chow if I can find it…”

She pushed at his chest.  “Get out of here!  You were bitten, just like me.  Are you seriously trying to say you have never craved brains?”

“I’m not lying!  I died two years ago, but since then I have never wanted to eat anyone.”

10k thought back to when he had died.  He had been feverish, so his memories were chaotic, but forever ingrained in his mind was the sensation of Warren choking the life out of him.  Red’s beautiful face looking down at him had been marred with tears.  10k had been terrified, gasping for breath, not understanding what was happening, but then there was nothing.  The fear, the pain, all of Murphy’s influence nattering in the back of his mind, it all slipped away and everything went gloriously quiet. 

Death had been a relief, like being completely immersed in a warm bath or being wrapped up in his mother’s quilt…but just as soon as he accepted his fate, he was violently jerked out of that perfect tranquility and he woke up looking at Murphy’s face.

_Damn him.  He knew I never wanted to be bitten!  What if Darla’s right, and I am like her?  It took years before Murphy started going all freaky Zombie Messiah.  Am I going to start craving brains, too?_

 “Huh.  So you died before the Black Rain?” Darla’s voice jolted him back to the present.  “Maybe that explains it.  That gunk messed everything up.   I can’t remember everything, but Daddy said I got attacked by a Z and I woke up like this.  I was fine for a while, but then the cravings started. I’m normal most of the time, but if I don’t eat brains every other day I start to go all ‘UHRRR!’” Darla curled up her hands into claws and acted like a lurching zombie.

“I’m sorry this happened to you.”  And despite everything, 10k meant it.  In a way, this might be his fault.  He and his friends unwittingly let the Black Rain descend upon the world.  It changed all the rules, and now Darla was paying the price.   No matter how hard he’d tried, ultimately 10k couldn’t control himself when he was a Blend, so how could he expect Darla to resist what she had become?

Darla shrugged.  “I guess it is better than dying.  But I could do without the rotting, you know?”

“…or the brain eating?” 10k added.

“Oh, man.  Brains taste AMAZING.”  Her face lit up and she licked her lips at the thought.    “You don’t know what you’re missing!”

“Uh, I guess I’ll have to take your word on that.  How many people have you eaten, anyway?” asked 10k, unable to contain his morbid curiosity.

She tapped her cheek while she considered.  “Five?  No, six.  They were all Enders,” she said with air of dismissal.  “They were so far gone that I tell myself they were mercy kills.  Besides, I’d rather eat a stranger than attack Daddy. He’s all I have left…except I guess now I have you, too!”

Suddenly, 10k could hear someone yelling in the distance.  “10k!  10k!  Kid?  Where are you?”

10k’s heart leapt for joy.   “Doc?  I’m h-mmmph!”  His happiness was cut short when Darla swiftly clamped her hand over his mouth to muffle his cry.

“Shhh, baby.  We don’t want anyone to ruin our fun,” she whispered.  “We haven’t even gotten to the good part, yet!”

_Good part?  Hell, no!  The only “good part” in this scenario is me getting the hell out of here!_

“Mmmmrph!”  10k bit into her hand and shook his head trying to free himself, but Darla was very strong and seemed immune to pain.  While he struggled, she grabbed his bandanna from the pile of clothes next to the bed and used it to gag him.

“Guys, I found 10k’s goggles,” Doc yelled somewhere off in the distance.  “Murphy, you were right…he must be somewhere nearby!” 

 “What the heck kind of name is ‘Ten Key’ anyway?”  Darla whispered.  She slid the window closed and smiled down at her silenced captive.  “Never mind.  You can tell me later, baby.  Right now I’m going to go find your friend so I can eat HIS brain!”

10k’s eyes widened. _No!  Don’t hurt him!_  he muttered from behind the gag.  He glowered at her and yanked furiously at his bonds.  The cords were so tight they were starting to dig into his flesh and cut off his circulation.

Fred burst into the room carrying two rifles, and 10k recognized that one of them was his own.  He tossed it to his daughter.  “Look alive.  We’ve got company!   An old hippie, a red haired boy, and a fella with the worst sunburn I’ve ever seen. ” 

The old man was surprised to see that 10k was still alive.  He shook his head with an exasperated scowl.  “Darla!  Honestly.  Ever since you were a little girl, I never could get you to stop playing with your damned food.” 

“I’m keeping him, Daddy.  So we need to take at least one of the strangers alive.”  She looked over at 10k.  “If you’re a good boy, I’ll share my brains with you.  You’ll start to like them, too.  I promise.”  She blew him a kiss before she followed her father downstairs.

10k was desperate.  He couldn’t figure out to free himself, and now his friends were in trouble.  He had to warn them somehow.  He tried one last gambit not knowing whether it would even work…and half hoping it would fail.

Forcing away all his apprehension, he reached out to that cobwebby, long walled off part of his mind that had once been his psychic connection to Murphy and with all his might tried to push out a message:

“DANGER!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos are great, but comments inspire me to write faster!


	4. Murphy POV

“DANGER!” 

Murphy’s hair stood on end when he realized it was 10k’s voice inside his head.

_He must really feel desperate if he's reaching out to ME, of all people…_

“Shit.  Get ready for trouble,” he warned the others.  “10k thinks we’re in danger.”  His adrenaline kicked in and he grasped his sword tighter, scanning the street for any sign of movement.

 “You there!  Put down your weapons!” a grizzled old voice yelled from down the street.  “Don’t make me ask you twice.”  An elderly man in overalls leveled his rifle at them.

“Like hell we will!”  Sarge squeezed off a round.  The man cried out in pain and clutched his shoulder.  “The next one goes right between your eyes unless you tell us what you did with our friend!”

“Um, guys?”  Doc put his hands in the air.  Directly behind him was a zombie in a red dress…and she was holding a rifle! 

 _Since when did zombies use weapons?_   

She prodded Doc with the tip of the rifle until he dropped his hammers.  “Unless you want the hippie to die, you best do what my Daddy told you,” yelled the zombie.

_Talking zombies?  What the holy hell is going on?_

“That’s 10k’s rifle,” gasped Sarge.  “Where is he?”

“Weapons down.  Now!” insisted the zombie, putting the barrel of her rifle against the back of Doc’s head.  “Hands up!”

“Okay, okay,” Sarge relented, carefully putting her rifle on the ground.  She reluctantly raised her hands above her head.   Murphy dropped his sword on the ground and did the same.

The older man in denim overalls  took his place next to the talking zombie.   He pressed a red hankie against the wound on his shoulder.

“You okay, Daddy?” she asked worriedly, motioning for Doc to get to his knees.

“I’ll be fine, Darla.  It was a through and through.”  He grabbed Doc’s hammers off the ground and tossed them far out of reach.

Darla scowled at Sarge.  “Just for that, I’m eating you first, bitch!”

“Murphy, now would be a great time for you to do that thing you do,” Doc stage whispered, nodding his head towards the zombie.

Murphy took a deep breath and reached out to the zombie’s mind.  He was rusty, and this new zombie’s presence felt far more chaotic and willful than he was used to, but focusing with everything he had he was able to connect.   Slowly, per his command, the zombie lowered her weapon.

“What is going on?  I’m not doing this!  Daddy, help!” The zombie was completely puzzled as to why her limbs were moving against her volition.  Her father ran back to her side and struggled to move the rifle to point back at the group.

“Brains!” Murphy yelled, drilling the command into the zombie’s mind with as much force as he could muster.  Darla dropped the rifle and with a feral snarl leapt at her father and chomped on the top of his head.  He screamed, trying to scramble away from her, but she overpowered him and continued biting him until he collapsed.  Blood spewed everywhere from his head wound. 

“Oh my God,” Sarge mumbled, her face aghast as they watched Darla feast hungrily upon her own father. 

“Sooo hungry…”  The zombie’s moans while she greedily shoved bits of brain into her mouth sounded almost orgasmic.  She seemed oblivious to everything else going on around her while she fed.

Sarge pulled herself together, picked up her rifle and used it to dispatch Darla with a perfectly placed head shot.  She crumpled onto the corpse of her father. 

Murphy strode over and jabbed his sword into the eye socket of the corpse to prevent him from turning. 

Doc clapped him on the back.  “Thanks, man.  That was a close call, but you still got it!  A bona fide zombie whisperer, that’s what you are!”  He picked up 10k’s weapon from the ground.

“More like a zombie yeller, but you’re welcome.”  Murphy grinned back at his friend.  “10k is still alive.  I can sense him upstairs.  You two stay down here and make sure no one else shows up, and I’ll go get him.”

Sarge nodded at him.  “Copy that.”  She and Doc took up a defensive stance by the front door.

Murphy rubbed his wrists, which had been feeling increasingly sore, and on top of that he had a doozy of a headache.  He bounded up the steps, honing in on 10k’s waves of anxiety.  The first bedroom door, covered in padlocks, led to an empty room.  Just past that he hit the jackpot.

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing when he stepped through the doorway. 

_No wonder the kid was so freaked out!_

The plastic covered walls were coated in blood.  _How many people died here?_   Murphy was chilled by the grotesque pastel chamber of horrors – it looked exactly like Dexter the serial killer’s plastic wrapped kill rooms except assembled by his great Aunt Edna.  He was pretty sure she had that same teal sea horse shower curtain in her bathroom.

Stuck in the middle of the macabre scene was poor 10k.  He’d been bound, gagged, and strapped to a plastic wrapped mattress that was spattered with the gore of other unfortunate victims.  His eyes widened at the sight of Murphy, and he squirmed in his bonds and muttered something through his gag.

Despite the disturbing surroundings, Murphy immediately got a rush out of seeing 10k’s lean form splayed out, taut and writhing before him like one of his darkest fantasies come true.  It took his breath away.

_Why does he have to be so beautiful?_

He gulped and forced those thoughts from his mind.   10k was currently feeling so scared and vulnerable that Murphy felt shamed for harboring such desires.  He rushed over to the bed and tugged the gag out of 10k’s mouth, and hoped the kid didn’t notice that he’d gotten hard.

“Doc?  Sarge?  Are they –“ 10k flailed, desperately searching the hallway to see his friends.

“- they’re fine,” Murphy assured him, tossing the bandana on top of the rest of 10k’s clothes.

“Darla…Fred…where are they?  You can’t trust them!”  10k’s eyes were wild, frantic.  “Doc!  She’s gonna eat him!  You have to -”

“Shhh.  Calm down.  We took care of them.  You’re safe now.  Everything is going to be okay.”  He inspected 10k’s restraints.  “Let’s figure out how to deal with these.”

“Oh, thank God!” 10k relaxed a bit, but abruptly winced and gasped in pain when Murphy touched his wrist. 

“Sorry, I’ll try to be gentler.”  Murphy used his sword to carefully saw at the rope.  He was not happy to see that 10k’s wrists were severely abraded and bruised from all the struggling.  Upon closer inspection he could also see blood caked in 10k’s hair, like he’d suffered a blow to the head.

“When we’re done here, we should have Doc tend to your wounds.  We don’t want anything to get infected.”  Murphy paused for a moment.  “What the - ?”  He reached over to 10k and lifted up his chin to get a better look at the mark on his neck.

“What are you doing?” 10k squawked indignantly.

“Is that a hickey?” teased Murphy, cocking his eyebrow at 10k.

10k blushed and wrested himself out of Murphy’s grasp.  “Shut up.”  He averted his eyes.  “Darla.  I-I couldn’t stop her.”

_Ah.  The zombie got fresh with him.  Everything makes sense now!_

Murphy resumed sawing at the restraints.  “Kid, you have nothing to be embarrassed about.  It’s not your fault that everyone in the apocalypse wants to get into your pants.”  He smirked when 10k’s blush became even redder.  “Lucky you, I guess that includes zombies now, too.”

He finally cut through the cords, which allowed 10k to free his wrists.   10k, silent and withdrawn, carefully flexed and rubbed at his wrists, trying to improve his circulation while Murphy went to work on the cords binding his ankles next.  He forced himself to look away from 10k’s deliciously snug undershorts while he sliced.

 _What the hell is wrong with me?_   _Now is not the time to perv on the kid!_  

He blinked and sawed a little faster.  He needed to get 10k dressed and out of this horror show of a bedroom as soon as possible.

Murphy nearly dropped his sword when he heard 10k’s voice in his head, the words somehow both tentative and yet clear as a bell. 

 _How did you find me?_ 10k asked. _Did you hear me?_

He reluctantly looked up at the head of the bed, where 10k stared back at him, his impossibly guileless young eyes rimmed with tears.   It struck him that in all the years he had known Ten Thousand, the only other time he’d ever seen him cry was after the knife game.

_That was when I reached deep into his mind, and I broke him._

Murphy understood immediately that this was a test, that 10k was hoping against hope that Murphy hadn’t just received a telepathic message, and that his earlier communication was all in his head.

_Crap.  Should I lie?  Look at him.  He doesn’t want this.  He’s scared shitless already, for Christ’s sakes, he doesn’t need this blend bullshit, too.  But if I lie, he’s just going to hear about it from Doc and Sarge as soon as he leaves this room._

The jig was up.  There was no way to hide their renewed connection anymore.

 _Yes_ , Murphy glumly responded via their telepathic link.  _I heard you._

“No.”  10k shook his head.  “No!  Not again.  You are not my savior!” 10k growled, kicking the rest of the ropes off his legs.

“Look, I’m sorry…but technically, I did just save you…and in case you forgot, you were the one who called me!” Murphy sputtered.

10k glared at him as he tried to slide off the slippery mattress and stand up, and he almost made it, but as soon as his feet hit the floor Murphy felt him become overly dizzy and 10k buckled to his knees.

“Unngh,” 10k groaned, clutching his head wound.  Murphy reached down to help him back to his feet, but 10k fended him off.

“How long?” 10k demanded, his voice breaking.  He remained in a crouch, distraught and refusing to look up at Murphy.

 “Just since the Black Rain, I promise.  Look, you’re hurt.  Let me help you!“  Again Murphy tried to steady 10k, wincing as he felt the boy’s head throbbing like it was his own. 

“Let me go!  I won’t be your slave again, not ever,” 10k gritted out, and his words wounded Murphy far more than the vicarious pain in his skull. 

_He’s right to be scared of me.  I did hurt him.  How can I ever make things right between us?_

10k managed to lurch to his feet, but the physical exertion proved to be too much for him and Murphy could feel his mind slip away as he fainted.  Murphy caught him before he could drop.

“Doc, get up here!  Doc!” Murphy screamed while he eased 10k back onto the bed.  “Something is wrong!”  Panicking, he patted 10k’s face and shook his shoulders to rouse him, but he was unresponsive.

“No, no, no…” Murphy felt a tear roll down his cheek when he couldn’t find a pulse.   He put his ear against 10k’s bare chest and listened for a heartbeat. 

Doc barreled into the room and pushed him aside.  “Give me some room!  Kid, can you hear me?” 

Sarge waited in the doorway, worry etched all over her face.   Murphy could see the terror in her eyes as she took in all the gore splattered around the kill room.  He didn’t need a telepathic link to know exactly what she was thinking:  Would 10k die in this room, too?

 _Please wake up!_ Murphy messaged as Doc worked on 10k. _I don’t care if you hate me forever.  I can’t lose you, too!_


	5. 10k POV

10 blinked drowsily as the warm morning sun shone right in his eyes.  He realized he was on a bed again, but fortunately this one was not coated in gore and did not come with any restraints.  He had a comfy feather pillow and a patchwork quilt, and this time when he woke up in an unfamiliar place he was greeted by a friend.

“Well, well, well…look who finally decided to open his eyes!”   Doc smiled warmly while he ruffled 10k’s hair.  He was seated on a folding chair next to the bed.  “Rise and shine, kiddo.  It’s gonna be a beautiful day in the apocalypse!”

“Doc!” 10k grinned and pushed himself into a seated position.  “How long was I out?”  He accepted the glass of water Doc handed him and took a couple gulps.  He was in a bedroom, but it did not appear to be in Fred and Darla’s home.  His friends must have moved him while he was unconscious, and he was grateful to be away from their creepy kill room.

“Almost a day, but you needed the rest.  Truth be told, after that conk on the head you’re lucky to be alive, ya little cockroach! Here, try to eat some of this.”  Doc passed him a bowl filled with some kind of stew, which 10k happily wolfed down.  While he finished his food he noticed that Doc was watching him very, very carefully.

_That’s weird.  Doc’s smile…it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.  There’s something he’s not saying._

“How are you feeling, exactly?” Doc asked, a nervous twinge in his voice.  “Anything…unusual you want to talk about?”

10k sighed and handed him the empty bowl.  “You mean the mental thing with Murphy?  No offense, but that is the LAST thing I want to talk about.  Like, ever.”

“Err, that is not exactly what I meant.”  Doc reached over and gently grasped his wrist and turned it over.  “Look.”

At first 10k wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be looking at.  It was just his wrist.  It looked perfectly normal.  Then he remembered what had happened to him the previous day.  When he’d been tied up, he had struggled so hard that he’d bruised his wrists and the cords had dug into them so deeply they’d drawn blood.

But less than 24 hours later, there were no bruises, no cuts, nothing.

10k stared incredulously at both of his wrists, looking for wounds that didn’t exist.  “I…I don’t understand.  How did they heal so quickly?”

“Or your head?”  Doc’s voice became even more solemn.  “We found a baseball bat with your blood all over it.  A blow like that probably would’ve killed anyone else.  But I couldn’t find any sign of physical trauma on that noggin of yours.   And then there’s your pulse.”  He guided 10k to put his fingers next to his carotid artery.  “It’s so slow, it’s almost like you don’t even have one!”

10k waited and waited for a heartbeat.  It must have been at least a minute until he felt even one.

_“What are you?  Because you sure don’t taste or smell like other humans.”_

His eyes widened.  “What happened to me?  Am I dead?  Oh my God, am I one of those things?”

Doc put a reassuring hand on his soldier.  “I don’t think so.  Even though it is slow, your heart is still beating, and the Zs still want to eat you.  If you were dead, they’d leave you alone.  But I do think we gotta consider the possibility that the Black Rain caused some kind of change in you, just like it did with Murphy.”

“Murphy,” 10 scoffed, shaking his head.   “Everything always comes down to him, doesn’t it?  When the Hell am I ever gonna get away from that guy?”  Without thinking he rubbed the bite scar on the back of his neck. 

“I know you two have history.  Bad shit went down, and I can’t pretend to understand all of it.”  He patted 10k’s shoulder one more time before he withdrew.  “Murphy may be an asshole sometimes, but if it weren’t for him, both of us would have ended up as Darla Chow.  He saved our lives.”

“Maybe he did, but that doesn’t mean I want Murphy inside my head again,”  10k bristled.  He looked directly into Doc’s eyes.  “Promise me you’ll stop him if he ever controls me.”

“Now hold on.  I don’t think that’s gonna –“ Doc countered.

10k raised his voice, cutting him off.  “Promise me!” he implored.  The intensity of his words had an immediate effect on Doc, chastening him into silence.  10k softened his approach.  “I’m sorry.  But I can’t live like that.  I-I can’t lose myself again,” he said, choking off a sob.

Doc’s voice was flooded with emotion as he pulled the boy into a hug. “I promise you, son.  I will not let that happen.”  10k wrapped his arms tightly around the older man while he soothed him. “Please know that I will always have your back, from now until my last day.  You hear me?”

10k nodded against his shoulder.  He didn’t know what would happen next with all this Blend weirdness, but he was grateful at least Doc could help him figure things out.

“Hey, if you’re giving out hugs, think I could get one, too?” Sarge said, peeking in through the doorway.

10k looked over at her and wiped dampness from his eye while he smiled.  She leaned her rifle against the wall and rushed over to embrace him herself.  She kissed him on the forehead before she straightened up.

“I was so worried about you,” she admitted.  “I’m so glad you’re going to be okay!” 

 _But am I?_ Not wanting to spoil the lighter mood, 10k kept that concern to himself.

She looked over at the empty bowl on the bedside table.  “Ah.  I see you liked my secret recipe.  Want me to rustle up some more grub?”

“Heck, yeah!” 10k responded.  He was still famished, and felt like he could finish off 10 bowls.  But he also felt like he hadn’t peed in a year.  After Sarge left to get more food he scrambled out of bed to find someplace he could go.

“Hold on.  You feeling stable enough to walk?” Doc asked, watching him for any sign of weakness.  “Maybe you should still take it easy.”

“Actually, I feel better than I have in a long time!  Except I really, really have to go.”  Everyone knew bathroom fixtures no longer functioned in the apocalypse, so he hurried across the hallway into what looked like a home office. He quickly opened the window so he could relieve himself into the alley outside.  10k let out a contented sigh as the flow arced out the window.

He startled and almost splashed urine onto his bare feet when he heard a deliberate cough behind him.  He looked over his shoulder to see Murphy splayed out casually on a small sofa in the corner, holding an old GQ magazine.  The cover headline read “HOW TO GIVE YOUR PARTNER MINDBLOWING ORAL SEX!”

“Welcome back to the land of the non-living!” Murphy put down his magazine and eyed 10k from head to toe, giving him an appreciative smirk.  "Where’s my hug?”

_Shit.  How much did he hear?  Can he eavesdrop on my thoughts?_

10k blushed furiously while he finished his business and tucked himself back in his shorts.  “Not gonna happen!”  

Murphy shrugged with a mischievous grin, giving him another lingering once over before going back to reading his magazine.

10k suddenly felt far too naked for comfort and awkwardly retreated back to the safety of his room to find his clothes, bumping into a standing lamp and nearly knocking it over in the process.

_Why was he looking at me like that?_

When Doc handed him his clothes, he couldn’t put them on fast enough.


	6. Murphy POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: this chapter takes place immediately after chapter 4, and contains a flashback to events in season 3.

Sarge and Murphy both paced nervously in the hallway while Doc examined 10k in the blood soaked bedroom where he’d been held prisoner.

“What the hell happened?  Can you feel him?  Is he gonna be okay?” Sarge asked. 

“I-I don’t know.  He was fine, being his usual stubborn pain in the ass self, but then he got dizzy and passed out!  I can’t get a read on him; everything is blank now.”  _But wait…I could feel him a few minutes ago._  

Murphy poked his head back in the bedroom doorway.  “Check for a head wound!  I saw blood in his hair!”

“Gotcha, brother.” Doc gingerly checked 10k for signs of swelling.  “It’s weird.  His breathing is regular, but I’m having a heck of a time finding his pulse.  You said he got dizzy?   He might have a concussion.”

Sarge spotted a baseball bat leaned up against a narrow side table in the apartment hallway.  “Wait a minute.  Look at this!”  She handed it to Murphy.

The bat was splattered with sticky fresh blood.  Murphy ran his finger through it, and brought it up to his nose to sniff.  It wasn’t enough to discern if it was zombie or human, so he licked the blood off his finger.

Sarge wrinkled her nose.  “Ugh, that is seriously nasty!”

“Oh…it’s definitely 10k, alright,” Murphy admitted, and off Sarge’s disgusted look he tried to cover up how much he enjoyed the blood.  He would never forget that hint of something undefinable underlying the initial taste of salt and copper, a mystery begging to be unraveled.

“They must have hit him with this.”  Murphy reluctantly handed the bat back to Sarge – it had taken every ounce of self-control he had not to lick it clean.

_If his blood is this tasty, imagine what his come tastes like!  No wonder Sarge loves giving him head._

Murphy remembered when he had first bitten 10k, back when they had been on the CDC submarine.  10k had been taken aboard to receive treatment for a gunshot wound.  While touring the sub, Murphy learned more about Zona’s plans, and he had not liked what he’d heard.  As soon as he had the opportunity, he turned Dr. Merch and several soldiers into his blends, and used them to stage his getaway.

One of his new soldier blends climbed up from a lower deck and saluted Murphy.  “As you instructed, sir, the explosive charges have been set.  We have twenty minutes to get to a safe distance.”

“Great.  So what are we waiting for?  Let’s blow this popstand!”  Murphy had almost forgotten about 10k until they turned a corner and saw him lying on the floor, moaning in pain and clutching his wound.

_Argh!  They were supposed to fix him!  Can’t anyone around here do anything right?  Warren thought these morons were going to save the whole world, and they can’t even save one kid!_

“Don’t just stand there.  Hurry up and help him!” he commanded Merch.

She kneeled down and examined 10k’s gunshot wound.  Her face looked grim, and she shook her head.  “He’s lost too much blood.  He’s not going to make it without more transfusions!”

“So we’ll give him one when we get back to shore!  Hey, meatbag.  Over here!”  Murphy mentally signaled for the captain to carry 10k.  The blend hoisted the young man over his shoulder, holding his legs in front while 10k’s head and arms dangled down his back.

 “Transfuse him with what, exactly?” Dr. Merch retorted.  “The blood is stored on the other side of the sub, which, by the way, you just rigged to explode, and we can’t donate any because you turned us all into blends!”  She glared back at Murphy, awaiting his next command. 

He rolled his eyes at her.  “Oh, for chrissakes.  I guess if I want something done right, I have to do it myself!”  Murphy stormed closer to 10k and turned his face, exposing his cheek.

“Whuz hap’ning, whaddya you…” 10k muttered weakly.  He looked clammy and pale and he could barely keep his eyes open.

Murphy hesitated, stroking his thumb across 10k’s cheek while thinking back to that horrible day with The Collector, and how terrified 10k had been when he thought he was going to be bitten.  He’d rather die than become like Cassandra, he’d said. 

_Should I let him go?  No.  Fuck that!  If I’m going to rebuild the world, I need someone capable at my side.  I have a feeling these assholes aren’t going to cut it._

_He may not want this, but I want him._

“Sorry about this, kid, but I don’t have a lot of time.”  Murphy yanked 10k’s collar aside and bit the back of his neck. 

“No!” 10k sobbed.   He struggled and kicked, mumbling incoherent curses while he tried to escape the captain’s grip, but he was so drained that his captor was able to contain his feeble resistance with ease.

As soon as the blood started flowing, Murphy experienced a tsunami of sensation.  Feelings, sounds and images of 10k’s life coursed through him like an electric shock. Piking a bound man…struggling with Cassandra…recoiling from Murphy...running after the girl in the scarlet shawl.  The fear and grief rolling off 10k was so intense that Murphy had to hold onto the captain’s arm to steady himself.  As soon as he withdrew his lips, the connection was severed.

_Tommy. The people he loved called him Tommy. But they’re all gone._

“Shhh.  Forget!” Murphy commanded, and 10k stopped writhing and slumped against the captain, unconscious.  Murphy smiled sadly and smoothed 10k’s hair and readjusted his signature goggles so they wouldn’t fall off.

_You don’t have to fear me, Thomas.  We’re going to save the world together.  You’ll see…_

 “Sir, we are running out of time.  We have to move.  Now!”  Dr. Merch urged him.  She obviously wanted to flee but was frozen in place until her master commanded otherwise.

Murphy had completely forgotten about the explosives!  He straightened his tie and strode towards the exit ladder.  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Don’t get your panties in a twist.” Murphy licked the last trace of 10k’s blood from his lips and mentally commanded everyone to exit the sub and board the raft they used to make their escape. 

_Two years ago, and I still remember that day like it was yesterday._

Murphy scratched his goatee and watched Doc minister to 10k’s injuries.

Doc looked back at him.  “You were right, he has blood on him, but I can’t find a lump.  He doesn’t have a temperature, and he just started snoring, so I think he might be okay.   I just can’t seem to rouse him.  You sure you can’t get anything from that link of yours?”

Murphy closed his eyes and tried to see if he could sense anything.  And when he focused intently, he realized there was something there…not exactly an emotion, but there was something coalescing behind the bond that they shared.

“He’s there, but it is like he’s…I don’t know…rebooting?”  Murphy shrugged his shoulders.

Sarge looked at him funny.  “Rebooting?”

“Yeah, you know.  Like when your computer has to restart because of an error…and why am I bothering to explain pre-Z concepts to the likes of you?  Your generation doesn’t even remember online porn!” Murphy snorted.

“What…the…hell?” Doc leaned closer to 10k and pushed his round sunglasses up over his hair to get a better look.  “Am I really seeing this?”

Murphy and Sarge joined Doc at the side of the bed.  He peered down at 10k.  Doc gripped 10k’s chin and tilted it away from them.

Murphy gasped as the purplish contusions of Darla’s hickey gradually vanished from 10k’s neck right before their eyes.

“You saw that, right?” Doc asked.   Murphy nodded, incredulous.  “Okay, good, because I did the last of the peyote and thought it might be a flashback!”

Murphy punched him in the shoulder.  “Hey, you were supposed to save that for a special occasion!”

“Ow!”  Doc rubbed his shoulder.  “Well, excuse me for thinking the world ending was a special enough occasion!”

Sarge interjected.  “Since when does Ten Thousand have super healing, anyway?”

“Well, truth be told, 10k has almost died more times than I can count, but this is new.” Doc looked over at Murphy.  “You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’?”

“Black Rain,” they both said simultaneously.

“Who knows what kind of freaky mutations that shit causes!” Doc exclaimed.  “Murphy’s red, zombies are talking…man, I hope I don’t wake up tomorrow with a third eye or a tail.”

“I think you’re safe, old man.” Murphy clapped Doc on the back.  “Zona created those chemicals to target the Zs, not humans.  Lucky us, 10k and I just ain’t very human anymore.”

“Wow.  This is wild.  Do you think Warren is gonna be like Ten Thousand, too?” Sarge asked.

“I don’t know.  Maybe?  Who knows.  We better find her soon!” Doc motioned at all the gore plastered around the room.  “But until 10k wakes up, can we find a new place to crash?  This room is giving me the heebie jeebies!”


	7. 10k POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter picks up a few days after the end of chapters 5 and 6.

10k snuggled next to Sarge in their makeshift nest on the carpet.  Stroking her hair gently, he gazed at the pattern the moonlight splayed on the faux wood paneled wall of the abandoned mobile home in which they had taken refuge for the night.   She slumbered contentedly against his chest, her breathing barely audible until she shifted position and let out a funny little snore.  He had grown to love the sounds she made when they were alone.  She felt so tiny in his arms, and he thought back to the beloved stuffed tiger he’d treasured as a child.  Just like Stripes, she was a small but fierce protector who knew how to fend off all the monsters.  He always felt safer when she was close.

But despite their closeness, it troubled him that she had not wanted to make love lately.  Yesterday night she had begged off with an excuse that he’d been through a lot and still needed rest.  Perhaps he did.  Yet there was something about her hesitation, about the slight stammer in her speech when she asked if they could just cuddle instead…things had changed. 

He had changed.

10k looked down at his inner forearm.   Earlier that day, after he had finished his morning shave, he had surreptitiously sliced himself with his straight razor then hid the wound under his sleeve.  Not because he wanted to hurt himself, and indeed it had hurt just like every other time he’d ever suffered an injury.  It was a test to see if what they’d told him was true – could he really heal quickly now? 

Tonight he had confirmation – the two inch laceration from this morning was completely healed over, with no trace of a scab or scar.

_I can’t blame Sarge.  I’m a freak now!  What if I turn Z and try to eat her? Am I gonna end up some kind of zombie messiah, like Murphy?  Oh shit…what if I turn into something even worse than Murphy?_

He looked down at his healed arm again, and rubbed the soft skin where the cut used to be.

_Except Murphy never healed himself like this.  Half the time I’ve known him he looks like he’s rotting away!   Sun Mei said Murphy was dead, that he was more Z than human.  But I’m not like him.   If I was, the zombies would leave me alone.   If we could find Sun Mei, have her study my blood, maybe we could use it to heal others…maybe even find a cure for the Z virus!_

10k nestled closer to Sarge and willed himself to calm down and stop worrying.  Although he couldn’t see Doc from his vantage point on the living room floor, he could smell the distinct waft of Z Weed coming from the front stoop of the trailer where Doc was acting as sentry for the next few hours.  Knowing Doc was looking out for him always brought 10k a lot of comfort.

_Doc promised me everything would be okay.  If I don’t have hope, what else is there?_

And things did seem a lot better.  It had been very quiet and uneventful since they’d left Fred and Darla’s town behind.  10k was immensely relieved to be far away from that place!  Murphy claimed he had a much better read on Warren, so the group struck out towards the farmlands hoping to reconnect.

 _Good,_ he’d thought when Murphy turned his attention back towards the mission. _Focus on Warren and stay the hell out of my head._

But Murphy was acting stranger than usual.  Usually when Murphy said he’d found Warren’s trail he was excited, but recently he was somewhat sullen, almost morose.  For the first time he was acting like finding Warren wasn’t a top priority…until Doc smacked him on the back of the head and demanded he show them the way.

Although they lacked a vehicle, the group had made pretty good time, and was lucky enough to avoid any bad encounters.  When they found this place to rest for the evening, a dilapidated little trailer just off the highway, Murphy had retired to the only bedroom.  Unlike Sarge, he was not a quiet snorer and at times it sounded like a chainsaw was trying to hack through the back wall of the trailer.  Fortunately 10k could sleep through anything, but it had gotten suspiciously quiet in the last half hour or so. 

Actually, it was the sudden absence of sound that had awoken 10k and alerted him to a potential problem.  10k hoped he wasn’t being spied upon, but he was afraid to reach out with his mind to test the boundaries of their connection.  As of late he felt like he was hiding in his own skin to avoid Murphy’s radar.  He did not like their shared bond, not one bit. 

10k perked up when he heard a faint sound emanate from Murphy’s room.  Not quite a snore…more like a grunt.  It was hard to tell from this far away, so he concentrated harder.

He detected another grunt.  And in short succession, another grunt followed by a soft whine, and then something that sounded like a scrape against the wall.  10k startled when he heard something thud onto the floor, like a book had fallen off a shelf or a lamp had been knocked over.

Sarge was still in a deep, oblivious sleep so he carefully peeled himself out from under her to go investigate the sound.  He crept down the hallway and listened outside Murphy’s door. 

“Oh…oh…Ro…berta!” Murphy moaned from inside the bedroom, and 10k could hear the faint sound of limbs thrashing against sheets, of skin slapping against skin.  “There…there…yes…oh god!”

10k jaw dropped when he realized what he was hearing.  Murphy was jerking off!  10k grimaced and turned to head back to Sarge, hopeful that if he moved quietly enough Murphy would not realize he had stumbled upon his private moment.

A few steps away from the door, 10k stopped in his tracks as another thought occurred to him.

_Hold on, he’s been concentrating on his bond with Warren all day.  Is he connected to her right now?  Oh crap, of course he is.  He feels exactly what she feels!_

10k then remembered how awkward Sarge had been around Murphy ever since they’d rescued him.  Almost bashful, and that was the last adjective he would ever apply to Sarge.  

When they’d settled into the trailer for the night, Murphy called dibs on the back bedroom.  Then he apologized and pointedly offered to switch with Sarge if she wanted to “rendezvous” tonight.  Sarge had blushed, glared, and told him to shut up and mind his own business.

Murphy had grinned and winked at 10k as he sauntered down the hallway to his room.  “Aw.  Looks like you aren’t getting any tonight, kid.  What a shame.”

_Oh my God.  He feels what WE feel, and he gets off on it.  Does that mean he…oh no…was he jerking off when I was with Sarge?  He was, wasn’t he!_

His fury mounting, 10k whirled around and threw open the bedroom door.

“Leave Warren alone, you monster!” 10K shouted at Murphy as he barreled towards the bed.  Covered only by a thin sheet, Murphy did not acknowledge the intrusion, even though his eyes were open.  Murphy’s ministrations continued unabated, soft moans slipping from his lips while he touched himself under the sheet.

It wasn’t until 10k got closer that he noticed that Murphy’s eyes were completely white, like he was caught up in some kind of trance.  “Did you hear me?  Get out of her head!”   10k smacked Murphy across the face as hard as he could.

Before he could draw his arm back, Murphy swiftly grabbed 10k’s wrist.

10k gasped as if all the air had been sucked out of his lungs.  In an instant, the whole world withdrew in an exhilarating rush.  The trailer, the bedroom, Murphy, Sarge and Doc – everything physical was left behind while 10k’s consciousness hurtled into the void. 

But void wasn’t the right word, was it?  Because the strange space 10k now occupied wasn’t empty.  He didn’t understand how he knew he was immersed within Roberta Warren, but there she was.  Warren was everywhere, and yet nowhere. 

He couldn’t see Warren so much as he could sense her, like 10k was enveloped in a cocoon of her unmistakable essence.  Her determination, her courage, her sense of loss, all those fragments of her being swirled around him like colors he couldn’t quite see, like scents he couldn’t fully distinguish.  10k had a hard time telling where his soul ended and where Warren’s began.  He felt what she felt.

And right now, he felt awash in pleasure.  Contentment.  And perhaps even…love?   Yes, he recognized that emotion.  10k smiled, basking in these luxurious feelings like he was floating along a warm current, unsure where it would lead next.

_Wow.  Warren has fallen in love with someone…but who?_

When 10k was rocked by another wave of intense, shuddering pleasure he stopped wondering and surrendered.  All semblance of thought washed away while he was swept up in the powerful current of Warren’s desire.  He allowed himself to be emptied and filled, caressed and kissed, as every new touch mounted into a dizzying crescendo of sensation.

When Warren finally came, 10k mirrored her climax with his own thunderous release. Tears of ecstasy rolled down his cheeks as he tumbled out of Warren’s mind and collapsed, exhausted, against a sweaty tangle of limbs that he was only dimly aware were not his own.

_What just happened?  Was that a dream?  
_

His head was still swimming, scrambling for purchase as he tried and failed to parse out what was real, and what was not.

_So weird…I haven’t had a sex dream about Warren since I was sixteen…where did that come from?_

His spent body and mind fought against consciousness, demanding sleep.  He gave up trying to make sense of things and wrapped himself around Sarge so he could drift fully back into slumber.

_Just a dream…wait.  When did she get so tall…and hairy?_

“Unhhh…Sarge?” 10k murmured amid his haze of confusion.

“Nope.”  Murphy placed a kiss on 10k’s wrist and slapped his bare ass.  “Guess again, gorgeous!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. In case it wasn't clear, 10k could feel Warren while she was making love to Cooper, her love interest in season 5.
> 
> If you've gotten this far, please leave a comment to let me know what you think so I'm inspired to continue the story.


End file.
